


He's Dating me. He's Dating me Not.

by LiberAmans214



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Boyfriends Destiel, Castiel Has a Crush on Dean Winchester, Castiel Loves Cats, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Dean Winchester is Awesome, Domestic, Fluff and Humor, Gabriel is Castiel's big brother, Jock Dean Winchester, M/M, Protective Dean Winchester, Sam has a catblog, castiel is a nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 04:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21238247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiberAmans214/pseuds/LiberAmans214
Summary: “No, no. Before you go be the Gatsby to his Carraway, I have a question.” Balthazar grinned. “It’s been like a month. Haven’t you ever, uh, at least suspected it? Weren’t there ever too-long-touches, or accidental kisses, or -”“This isn’t a story, Balthazar. We had too-long-stares and accidental hand holding, does that count?” Cas muttered, feeling drained. And dumb. Who does notknow?Balthazar rolled his eyes. “I cannot even tell you how much it counts.”ORThe One in which Gabriel asks Dean out on Castiel's behalf, and forgets to tell him that he did.





	He's Dating me. He's Dating me Not.

“…so, that’s _that_, Gabriel.” Castiel concluded, crossing his arms across his chest, as if that made it definite. “I may _like_ Dean Winchester, but I don’t ‘like’-like him.”

“Say you, as you quote every guy who’s ever ‘like’-liked anyone.” Gabriel rolled his eyes, grinning cheekily as he did. “_After_ spending fifteen minutes - give or take - answering me; from when I asked you if you knew him.” He raised his eyebrows, and Castiel looked away from him, out the window. “Seems, like somebody has a _crush_.”

“Oh, shut up,” Castiel mumbled, fiddling with the keyrings and badges on his schoolbag. “I do _not_.”

“Please,” Gabriel scoffed. “If I wanted to verify it - which I don’t need to , by the way - I’d tell you right away that _I_ was dating him, and you’d start frowning, and blushing, and - HA! It’s _already_ happening!”

“Can we,” Castiel swatted at him, annoyed mostly. “Can we _stop_ talking about this? And the reason I frowned, is because he’s in my grade, Gabe - and you’re _practically_ a Senior, at this point.”

“Hey! I’m not gonna let you call me a lame-ass senior-year-kid until results are out_.” _Gabriel threw back. “And, kid, why do you wanna stop talking about him? I’m not even being gross.”

“You’re _always_ being gross.” Castiel assured him, earnestly, looking out the window again. “And don’t call me _kid_, I have a name.”

“Yeah, _alright_, Cassie.” Gabriel chuckled, as the bus began to halt, close to his stop. He began to adjust his straps. “Honestly? I wouldn’t bother. But just wanted you to know, that there’s stuff you can do.”

“What do you mean?”

“The only way to deal with a crush, dear _cuz_,” He teased, getting up, as the bus stopped outside his house. “Isn’t to wait for it to go away.”

“What, there’s another way?” Castiel deadpanned.

“Yep. S'called asking him out.” Gabriel gestured. “Might wanna try it out sometime.”

“_I’m_ not going to do that.” Cas sighed, as the bus driver yelled from the front, at Gabriel, to get down if he even wanted to. It made the rest of the kids on the bus snicker, but Gabriel laughed too, and waved at Cas before bouncing along, out - on his way, high-fiving all of his friends, who’d just been hooting. (He didn’t sit with his cousin, everyday, because he didn’t have any other options.)

Having dropped Gabriel off, Castiel’s house was only three blocks away. Soon, he was himself getting down - quietly, and without earning much of a response, except for the driver yelling at him to be ready on time the next day - and was settled in his bedroom, with a snack and his diary, to do some writing.

*

It didn’t happen right away, which is probably why Castiel didn’t suspect anything, either. Days have passed after the conversation, and one completely-regular afternoon in the lunch hall, Castiel was seated with just his Biology notes on a small table - because Kevin had a different schedule for lunch, on Thursdays.

And suddenly, he raises his head to the sound of a chair scraping the ground, and finds Dean Winchester sitting across him.

“Oh, -” Castiel blinks, and then begins to shuffle all of his notes closer to his side, to make space for the latter’s lunch tray. “Hi.”

“_Hey_,” Dean smiled, all green-eyed and freckled, and Castiel could easily have stared at him for way longer, if he weren’t suddenly extremely aware of what he was up to. “What’s up?”

“Uh,” Castiel hummed, under his breath, trying to think of a hilarious answer. It had to be something grander than, ‘nothing much’. But something less lame than, 'the sky’. After realizing, in a beat, that he was taking far too long to answer a really simple, and perhaps completely obligatory question, he let out a rushed. “I don’t know. You?”

“So, you _don’t_ know what’s up?” Dean smiled again, more like he actually meant to do it this time. Castiel could bet he looked pale, because he felt like a goddamn ghost. “Cool.”

Castiel cleared his throat awkwardly. “Yeah.”

“Yeah.” Dean repeated, and they simply sat there, looking at each other for a minute. Seriously, it was _unreasonable_ how good-looking this guy was. Looking rather comfortable in a large grey hoodie, Dean sat across him, like he actually wanted to.

Not that the lunch hall was full otherwise, or Castiel was ever gonna muster the courage to ask why he suddenly showed up on this table. He was…okay, with how things were.

“Mind if I take a look at that?” Dean stretched his hand towards his notes, smiling again. Crap, he smiled a lot. And it always looked awfully endearing, so damn, this was gonna be difficult.

“It’s for Ms. Nadine’s class,” Castiel replied, instantly, pushing them over.

“Wasn’t that a group project?” Dean sounded genuinely curious. “What, your group consists of the whole crew of you, your notes, and yourself?” He joked.

“No, I’m not…” Castiel’s voice trailed off, stopping before he could say something stupid like, 'I’m not that lame’. Because lame people said that. Like his brother. “There’s other people. But they, uh, don’t really care.”

“Told you to do all the work?” Dean frowned.

“Told me that they didn’t _care_ about the grade, and proceeded to ask me to _not_ snitch about them, bunking class.” Castiel shrugged.

“That’s so stupid.” Dean scowled, deeper. “You should tell the teacher.” Castiel was about to shake his head, when Dean added. “I’ll come with you.”

“To, uh, talk to Ms. Nadine?” Castiel blinked.

“Yeah, like, to your Bio lecture, or whatever. I’ll walk you.” There was a hint of a smile on his face. “M'afraid you’ve gotta take care of it yourself, from there.”

“I’m perfectly capable of doing that.” Castiel muttered, not really thinking.

“Wait, dude, no -” Dean balked. “I didn’t mean to - I’m sorry, that’s not what I -”

“Yes, I know.” Castiel swallowed, shutting him up. “And, uh, you know what? Maybe I should be getting to class now.”

“You’re gonna tell her?” Dean asked, handing his notes back - he’d been skimming over them, with raised eyebrows, while they’d been talking.

“I think we both know I’m not.” Castiel shrugged, getting up, and picking up his bag. “And I really don’t _mind_, so, you know, nevermind.” He smiled, quickly.

“Do you, uh, mind me walking with you, Cas?” Dean offered, getting up himself.

Castiel paused. He looked at Dean.

And then, went with his first instinct.

“If you’re done eating, then sure.” He replied, almost able to feel his cheeks grow hotter - and perhaps for the first time, actually, understanding what blushing felt like, as Dean stood up, and dropped both of their trays off as they walked together to Biology; talking about their shared classes, and Ms. Nadine’s need to _learn_ to form groups, better.

*

A couple of days, of sitting together for lunch - Dean stuck around, even when Kevin did come, and honestly, Castiel was happy that he did (and hadn’t just been there, because Cas looked like the lamest loner ever) - and a few more shared classes later, seeing Dean had become sort of a regular occurrence.

“Heya, Cas!” A voice showed up next to him, as he dragged himself through the hallway. Almost skipping to reach him, Dean was suddenly there, smiling brightly.

“Hi,” Cas smiled too, utterly pleased. “Did you need something?”

“Just thought we could walk to your bus together.” Dean grinned, raising his eyebrows. “If you don’t have an issue with that.”

“_No. _Walk with me.” Cas blurted, and Dean chuckled, and he joined in too. “Like, if you want to.”

“Didn’t I just say that I did?” Dean beamed. “How was your day?”

“Huh, sort of boring.” Cas told him, meaning it. “How was yours?”

“It was alright.” Dean grinned. “Even better now,” He added, patting Cas’s bag with a pointed grin.

“Now…that the day’s over, and we’re going home?” Cas blinked.

“Sure, that too,” Dean shrugged, and they continued to walk to the school bus. At the door, Dean held out a piece of paper to him. “Here, I think you should have this.”

Cas took it, proceeding to read aloud the ten digits. “Wait -”

“Text me, and I’ll have yours!” Dean yelled, already a few feet away, as he backed away. Cas stared at him dumbly, then nodded, and hurried inside the bus to his seat.

Gabriel winked at him, but Cas was too preoccupied to actually pay attention to his cousin right now. There were more important things to think of, right now. He was suddenly friends, with Dean Winchester.

*

It was honestly getting incredibly obvious. Almost a complete week had passed by.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Dean started, making Cas look up from his lunch, as he began to dig in his backpack. Suddenly, he produced a pair of earplugs. “There’s this song, that you _have_ to listen to it, just wait a minute -”

He began to plug them into his phone, and scrolling through the list.

Cas just continued to stare at him, astonished of what was happening. Sure, they had lunch together everyday, and they walked to Cas’s bus together, but they hadn’t done stuff like this before. This was _nice_.

“What are _you_ looking at?” Dean snapped his fingers, good-naturedly. “Put that in.” He gestured to the tangled white mess, on their table.

“Okay.” Cas tried to stop himself from smiling like an idiot, as he did so - whoa, so Dean and he were good friends now, that was awesome -

“Don’t be a music hogger,” Dean nudged him, before Cas could put in both the plugs in - and pulled them from his hands, beginning to entangle them to make them longer. “You cool with the right one, or do you want the left?”

“Anyone…works.” Cas said.

“Then I’ll take the one whose chord is kinda damaged, 'cause I’m a wonderful host.” He handed one over to him, and Cas took it, plugging it gently. He smiled instantly, at the music which was already playing.

“No, no, wait, wait,” Dean shushed, beginning to click on his screen, to play it from the start. “The intro is the best!”

And they had to lean towards each other, because neither fifteen year old was patient enough to properly entangle the mess that earphones tended to become. And Cas did not mind at all. It was actually kind of awesome.

*

“What do you do after school?” Dean asked him randomly, one Tuesday, when they had their last period together.

Cas turned to look at him, and saw how he had his pen hooked on his lip, as he nibbled on it’s end. “Don’t do that.” He instantly said.

“Don’t be such a Sammy.” Dean rolled his eyes, and Cas easily knew enough about Sam Winchester, to understand that reference.

“Pull that thing out of your mouth, Dean.” He threw back.

“Nah, _in fact_, I’m gonna recommend that you do it too, 'cause this is fun.” Dean teased, grinning.

“Sucking on the cap of a pen? Thank you, but I have less germ-covered things to suck on, if I ever wanted to join in the fun.” Cas deadpanned, and Dean suddenly snorted with laughter, which attracted many looks from around them. He shushed himself, which was kind of ridiculous, but Cas found himself smiling.

He returned his attention to the teacher.

“Psst.” Dean nudged him. “You didn’t tell me what you do after school.”

Cas gave him a look. “I take the schoolbus home, Dean. You _know_ that, my bus is parked right next to your brother’s bike.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Dean shook his head. Cas frowned. “Like, _yes_, I _did_ mean that, but not like that. Just asking, cause we should hang out, maybe.”

“Uh.” Cas let out, really eloquently.

“Yeah?”

“Where?”

“I actually thought we’d brainstorm over that question, after you’d said 'yes’.” Dean shrugged.

“Oh. Right. Of course.” Cas mumbled.

Dean continued to look at him. Cas fumbled to scribble on the side of his page, because the teacher was standing up now, and he didn’t wanna get told off for talking in class.

_That meant, yes._

Dean shook his head. “Yep, I got that. I was just looking at ya. You know, just like that.”

And Cas’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t reply, as the teacher asked Dean to stop whispering while he was teaching.

*

There, perhaps, was never one so dense as Castiel J. Novak, of Lawrence high.

“So, hey,” Dean sounded sort of nervous, over the line. “Sammy’s at some sleepover camp for middleschoolers. I was considering calling a few friends over, and -”

“Does that mean you won’t be able to make it to the movie, tonight?” Cas was disappointed.

“Well, depends on if you’ll be able to make it to my house, tonight.” Dean suggested, instead.

“Oh, I see.” Cas swallowed. “I didn’t understand if I was invited.”

“Sure, I shouldn’t’ve just said friends.” Dean grinned, and Cas frowned - because that was a random way to tell someone that they’re not your friend - but powered through with the thought of getting to see Dean again. “See ya then? You’ll be coming, right?”

“I…probably will.” Cas pushed himself off his bed, where he’d been lying on his stomach, talking to Dean while his phone lay next to him. “Lemme just hurry and ask dad. Are you hanging up?”

“I’ll wait. Be back soon.”

Cas ran to Chuck’s office, already framing out the question for permission, in his head.

*

“…and then, we stayed there until we knew for sure that Michael had left, and then me and Uriel snuck out of there -”

Dean yawning, cut Cas short.

“See, I _told_ you, you were sleepy!” Cas argued, annoyedly, still very much smiling as he held his phone to his ear, leaning against his headboard.

“Am _not_.” Dean returned, sounding decidedly so. “I’m listening to you, Cas, and the story isn’t done yet. Tell me what happens next! Do Michael and Lucifer ever figure out that you and your cousin know?”

“We could always talk in the morning,” Cas declared, instead.

“Oh, you know I have to be up until Dad comes home. He said he’ll be here by twelve.” Dean sighed. “I cannot _lock_ the door, but I can’t leave it unlocked either.”

“What if I wake you, at midnight?” Cas offered. “I can wake for History at 9 am, but I don’t want you waking at 6 for stupid baseball practise with Coach Singer.”

“S'not stupid.” Dean murmured. “And I’m not gonna sleep while you stay awake for my sake, Cas.”

“I’m _not_ telling the story anymore,” Cas protested, kind of in love with how fuzzy this ridiculous argument was somehow making him feel. “So, you can either stay up by yourself, or go to _sleep_ trusting me to wake you up.”

“I…can’t.” Dean groaned.

“Why not?”

“'Cause I’m a real heavy sleeper, and I’m not gonna wake up to you calling me, later.” Dean tried.

“Well, then you can put your phone under Sam’s pillow, and he’d start whining and wake you up?” Cas offered, only mostly kidding.

“You’re…such a weirdo, dude.” Dean huffed. “You _know_, too, that I’m not gonna go to sleep with my dad having told me to wait up. Still you try to convince me, and be this adorable dork, and dammit - _thanks_.” He said, out of the blue.

Cas was stumped.

“Thanks for staying up with me, Cas.” Dean whispered. And they’d been whispering the whole time, because Dean’s younger brother was asleep on the bed next to his. Cas had been whispering to keep up with him, though his dad’s room was very far from his, and there was no way Chuck Shurley was gonna come out of bed to check on Castiel either - only to find him tucked under a blanket, and perched on the windowsill, with his cell pressed to his cheek, and a glittery smile.

Cas really didn’t know what to say.

So instead, he went on. “And, uh, Uriel was pretty sure that we were out of trouble, so he decided that we should go back into the house, and -”

If he could hear Dean smiling, on the other end, just from the way he breathed - that was a thought for a more awake Castiel.

*

“You should try this pie,” Dean pouted, pushing the dish towards him. “Cas, listen. Cas. Cas? Look up from your essay, Cas! Try this pie!”

“I have to hand this in next period, Dean.” Cas muttered, scribbling a note, after raising his eyes to shoot an apologetic look in his direction.

“Yeah, but Ellen made it.” Dean reasoned, pushing it towards him some more.

“Please don’t put your dish on my file, Dean,” Cas began, exasperated. “There’ll be condensation, and the sheets will get damp and then the ink will smudge and the pictures -”

Dean suddenly managed to have brought a spoonful _real_ close to his mouth, and Cas hardly thought about it before he was eating it from Dean’s hands.

“M'sorry, for disturbing.” Dean mumbled, pulling the spoon back.

“No, _I’m_ sorry.” Cas withdrew, horrified at himself for the way he’d made Dean sound. “Maybe I could have another bite?”

“But your file, and the condensation, and the ink?” Dean repeated, the beginnings of a smile on his face.

“You’ll just have to be very careful, won’t you?”

Dean fed him another bite, practically hiding his face now, and Cas had had _no_ idea it felt so amazing to make someone blush.

*

Okay, but honestly, at this point - most people would have noticed. It was the fourth week. And Castiel was not most people.

“Dean!” He grinned, getting down from the school bus, with his bag slung on just one shoulder.

“Morning, Cas!” Dean held out his hand, randomly - and unthinking, Cas took it, as he got down the last step.

They both stared at each other for a minute.

Then Cas interpreted Dean’s embarrassed face to mean that he hadn’t been expecting this to happen, so he tried to subtly free his hand, but Dean was holding on to it now.

It was only when some jackass who sat behind Cas on the bus hooted at them to _get on with it already_, that they started to walk.

And then, when they finally stopped holding hands, it really seemed as though it had been their uncoordinated steps, and the issue of swinging hands while they walked and making a show - rather than, the resolution of an impromptu mistake.

“Guess _what_?” Dean started to make conversation, to fill the gap.

“You got an A in woodshop!” Cas quickly guessed.

“I..” Dean stopped. “Well, yeah, _that_ happened too - thanks for all the pep talks, buddy - but _guess_ what I was _asking_ you to guess?” This time he didn’t allow Castiel to suggest another achievement. “Sam was doing some stuff on his computer last night, and I suddenly thought -”

“Dean?” Another voice called his name, so Cas turned as well as him, to find Bela standing there. “You’re still _here? _We have practise, and Coach is making my squad wait waiting for all you idiots to gather before we can start!”

“I know, I know - I was on my way,” Dean frowned at her, passively.

“Shurley’s chemistry practicals is what you seem to be on the way to,” She rolled his eyes.

Castiel scowled too. “It’s _Castiel_.”

“Yeah, sorry, it’s 'cause I care so much.” She returned, sarcastically. “Dean, you coming, or?”

“I _said_, I’m on my way.” Dean snapped. “And you can either _leave _us alone_, _and maybe I’ll be there sooner.”

He paused, and added in a lower volume. “Or I could, _you know,_ lose myself in the crowd somewhere, and then you could shove your squad’s practise up your snarky ass, Talbot.”

“Shut your face.” She growled. “Just…be there soon, smartass.”

“Will do.” Dean threw back, grinning like he meant the opposite of it.

“She’s…passionate about practise.” Castiel remarked, as they resumed walking.

“She’s many kinds of a bitch, but yeah, she is that too.” Dean shrugged. “Now, where was I - oh, _right_. So, I was decided to see what he was so busy doing, and I come to _know_ that my brother has a cat-video-compilation channel, which has like a million subscribers and I had had no idea what that kid had been up to!”

“Wait, tell me his handle, maybe I follow him too.” Cas answered, in lieu of an appropriate response.

“Wow.” Dean laughed, throwing his head back, making a really pretty sight. “Just, wow. Two of my favorite dudes on the planet are cat-loving weirdos. It’s like you’re both training to be single 60-year-old ladies, already, _geez_.”

“You’re not allowed to be like that,” Cas squinted at him. “You’ve got that one video saved in your phone, Dean, I _know_ you do!”

“That’s only 'cause _you_ sent it to me, it doesn’t make me like feline humor or whatever -”

“Sure, make excuses, Dean.” Cas grinned. “Make excuses for sins, which don’t exist. Because cat-videos are like one of the purest things to exist on YouTube and -”

“You’re such a dork, I have no idea why I hang out with you,” Dean groaned loudly, proceeding to wrap his arm around the other’s neck. “Ah, I should probably be scared of your dork cooties.”

“Instead, you just adapt to them.” Cas replied, not really thinking before he wrapped his own arm around Dean’s middle. “How noble.”

*

On Mondays, Dean had lunch at a different time. So, Cas was walking through the hallway to his locker alone, when he bumps into Balthazar - who, not that uncharacteristically, greets him with a sparkly card shoved in his face.

“Hey, Balthazar.” Castiel returns, stepping back to actually read the card.

“Heya, Cassie.” He drawls, in his overexaggerated accent. It was ridiculous how they were friends, but they _were_. “Winter-dance is pretty close.” He added, when Castiel read those words from the pink paper. “Just collected my invite from Faith, and the girls. Did you get yours, yet?”

“I’ll get it later.” Cas dismissed it. Dances weren’t really his scene. He’d skipped last year’s, for a LOTR convention.

“Don’t be that way,” Balthazar argued. “You’re coming this time, _right_? You, with the pretty blond as your date?”

Cas shook his head, too soon. “That’s stupid, Balthazar, Dean and I are just friends.”

Balthazar raised his eyebrows, smirking, but also surprised. “You’re kidding, right?”

Cas blinked.

“You _honestly_ \- do you mean it? You’re just friends?” Balthazar drew back, dramatically. “_Ouch_, for poor Winchester. My heart goes out to the fellow, 'cause that guy’s got a real case of the heart-eyes.”

“Can you stop talking like you’re the lead twink in a loud, 90’s sitcom?” Castiel rolled his eyes.

“Excuse you, could you _start_ doing that, please?” Balthazar laughed, making it even more dramatic. He then pulled off the act, and looked at Cas with a straight face. “You’re not really serious, are you? You and Winchester are, honest to god, _not_ dating?”

“No?” Cas swallowed.

“Then, why has the entire school been so sure that you have?” He pretended to recoil in shock, but then added, instantly. “Oh, _right_. That’s because _you_ have been acting like the most gooey-ly in love, freshperson-couple in all of the school!”

“What even -” Cas stopped, mid-sentence, to…think.

“Is that a light bulb in your cartoon thought-bubble moment?” Balthazar asked him, sounding sincere.

“No, but…” Cas drew in a breath. This was - this was crazy. Oh my god, this was goddamn ridiculous. How did he never notice that? “Oh my god, Balthazar!” He ended up, shrieking. “We _are_ like a couple!”

“It’s alright, Cassie, you’ve come to the right gay.” Balthazar teased, patting his shoulder briefly, as Cas gave him the most horrified of looks.

“You don’t get it,” Cas breathed out, anxious. “I don’t think _Dean_ knows!”

A beat of silence.

“He has to know, Cas, he’s not like -” Balthazar stopped. Thought for a minute. And then sighed. “Wait, there’s an actual chance that he doesn’t know, either. You’re practically a perfect match.”

“I…” Cas blushed, furiously. “Listen to me, Balthazar! Stop making fun of me -”

“- actually, I’m making fun of -”

“Or _him_, Balthazar! Stop making fun of us! And tell me what I should do!” Cas fretted, literally feeling himself grow more panicked by the second. How did he _not_ notice? How could they have been anything _less_ than a couple?

“It’s actually really simple.” Balthazar promised him. “All you need to do is _go_, and ask him out. Then, you ask him to the Winter dance, and then - like, _later_ \- after you’re just done making out or whatever, you can tell him how you’ve practically been going out a month, and laugh over it.”

It sounded…kind of simple.

“Really?” Cas confirmed.

“Oh, yeah.” Balthazar shrugged. “You should do it _right away_.”

“No, he’s going to be in Mr. Arrow’s class, right now.” Cas frowned, before even beginning to consider the possibility.

“How _cute_, you even have his timetable all in your head!” Balthazar chuckled. “Jesus Christ, I mean, how did you honestly not know? Either of you. Like, what even is that? Mutual cluelessness? Is the friendzone just that comfortable, or are you that easily contented, because -”

“Shut up.”

“No, no, I have a question.” Balthazar grinned. “It’s been like a month, by now. Haven’t you ever, uh, at least suspected it? Weren’t there ever too-long-touches, or accidental kisses, or -”

“This isn’t a story, Balthazar. We had too-long-stares and accidental hand holding, does that count?” Cas muttered, feeling drained.

Balthazar rolled his eyes. “I cannot even tell you how much it counts.”

*

Cas realized that all of it must be done, in his adrenaline - before he completely chickened out, and then sat on his feelings for eleven more months, until the next school festival.

So, he decided to do it, soon. The end of the day seemed far, but lunch wasn’t an option. Screw Monday’s. But it had to be before Castiel’s bus left, if he did it at the end of the day.

Nevermind. Worse comes to worse, Dean and he would walk home. Castiel didn’t live as close to the school as Dean did - but if Dean was with him, did it really matter?

The end of the day came too soon. Or, it didn’t come soon enough. It was exhilarating, as well as nervewracking.

Cas looked forward to it.

And, he was easily inches away from backing off of his plan - and letting things be, as they were, he was _happy_ \- at any given moment.

But then, he also did look forward to it.

This mental conflict resulted in Cas grabbing Dean by his sleeve, rather urgently, and taking him a secluded part of the parking lot, instantly after school - Cas hadn’t ever called it 'their spot’ before, but now, he almost did. In his head, at least.

“Slow down, Cas.” Dean called, letting himself be pulled around, anyways. Cas stopped, turned around, and faced his _friend_. He stared at his face, breathless, wordless.

“Yeah?”

“I have something to say.” Cas almost stumbled over his words. His mind raced at a hundred times it’s regular speed, and he knew, that he couldn’t keep it in anymore. “Uh - ask, really.”

He didn’t even know how he’d make it to what he wanted to say - the _classic_ line - but he knew he had to get it out. Was it like this for everyone? Why did it have to be him?

“Yeah?” Dean’s voice summoned him back to Earth.

Castiel swallowed.

How was he going to -

“Cas?” Dean raised his eyebrows, almost reaching out to nudge him, when Castiel surprised himself.

He grabbed the hand Dean had extended towards his left, and clasped it with his other hand. Dean’s eyes widened. And before he could stop himself, or say anything else as preamble - he blurted.

“Would you like to go out with me?”

There was a look of utter disbelief on Dean’s face. For a beat, Castiel’s mental exhilaration hit a bump. Was it that unbelievable, for them to go out? Had this been a horrible mistake? Did Cas just ruin their entire friendship, going by Balthazar’s instincts? Did he get so carried away by the idea, that he didn’t even analyse it properly? Was he going to lose Dean, completely? Shit, he couldn’t imagine that happening, how could -

“Wait a fucking second.” Dean began, swearing out of the blue. Cas looked at him nervously, licking his lips, until Dean spoke again. “What the hell have we been doing?”

Cas was speechless now.

“What do you mean -”

“- I mean, _going out_, Cas!” Dean drew back, his eyes as wide as saucepans. “You’re asking me out, and making it sound like we haven’t been dating this entire while, and it’s _confusing_ -”

“- we’d been _dating_?” Castiel felt dumb.

Dean literally gaped. “What did you _think_ we was -”

“I thought you were just friendly!” Cas swallowed. This was crazy. What was happening?

“…what?” Dean’s eyes seemed to be trying to remind Cas of all of the times when - _when_ they’d been slightly more -

“I thought you were being _really_ friendly!” He defended, earnestly.

“What friend _does_ that -” Dean looked only a little bit mad. He suddenly huffed, hands on his hips, as he looked down at the ground. “I’m -” He started, but stopped again, clearly at a loss of words.

Cas blinked.

“_Seriously_?” Dean repeated, his voice shriller than usual.

“Hey,” Cas was getting mildly annoyed. “Don’t you think I should be the one saying that? I mean, isn’t it a tad bit too presumptuous to assume we’re dating, without any of us having said anything about it, and -”

“Are you _kidding_ me?” Dean glared at him. “Your _brother_ \- that _Novak_, what with the golden hair, and the sweet tooth - he came up to me and -”

“Oh, my _god_.” Cas stumbled backwards.

“You okay?” Dean reached out for him.

“_What_ did Gabriel say?” Castiel wished that the Earth would swallow him. Had anything ever been more embarrassing? He was going to kill Gabriel.

Dean looked way calmer now, he had a hand on Castiel’s bicep. “Uh, only that you had a thing for me, and said he was asking me out on your behalf, 'cause you were shy or whatever - and I _told_ him that I kinda liked you too, and so, it was kind of a, 'sure, I’d love to date your brother’ - and then I came to you, during lunch - and I was absolutely, uh, _happy_, but you seemed pleased with going slow, and it was kinda amazing, and I loved how we were, so I didn’t technically try to take you out on a date, or -”

“Dean.” Castiel stared at who had apparently been his boyfriend for a month.

“Yes, Cas?” Dean looked as flush, as Cas felt.

“Did you really just say that you kinda did want to date Gabriel’s brother, and -”

“- you, idiot -”

“- that’s what I meant.” Cas murmured.

“Then, yeah,” Dean returned, rubbing the back of his neck. “I did, uh, say that. Right after I said that I kinda had a thing for you -”

“- Wow.” Cas blinked.

“So, uh -” Their eyes met, and lingered. “That was a prank, or -”

“Most of it. Except I like you. _Liked_ you.” Cas babbled. “Wait, no, that came out wrong. I like you now. Too. _More_, actually. But I did, then too, but I never asked Gabe to - and I never asked him to, and -”

It was Dean’s turn to, “_Wow_.”

They both stayed silent for another whole second, processing.

“I -” They started to speak at the same time. “Cas -”

“You first.” Cas allowed.

“Cas,” Dean repeated. “I know this is kind of a _lot_, and sort of a mess, but whatsay we let the time frame thing go, and just agree that we are dating now, and -”

“_Yes_.” Cas agreed wholeheartedly, reaching out to hook his hand around his new (or, probably not that new) boyfriend’s neck, and pull him in bodily for a full kiss on the lips. Dean came readily, wrapping his hands around Cas’s middle, slipping under the layer of his jacket, his hands warm over the fabric of his shirt - as he leaned into the kiss that Cas had initiated. Moving with each other, with light nips and soft gasps, and pulling off occasionally to resume with renewed vigor - Cas closed his eyes, and assumed Dean did the same, until he reopened his, when they finally separated and rested their foreheads against each other, to avoid too much of a distance - and found Dean staring at him.

“What?” He breathed, his lips still tingling with the sensations of their first kiss.

“Gotta say, Cas,” Dean’s tone was light. “You really came off as a takes-a-month-to-hold-hands, wait-two-more-for-a-kiss guy. But now you’re already kissing me, and technically you _just_ asked me out - so honestly,” He teasingly leaned in to press his lips to Castiel’s once more, with each word. “I, love, you, even, more.”

“Hey,” Cas muttered. “I’m _not_ a kisses-before-the-first-date guy. This is different.” He pulled back, to stare into his boyfriend’s emerald green eyes. “_You’re _different.”

“I did spend a _month _courting someone as awesome as you, and never once made a sleazy move, so I _guess_,” Dean beamed, looking proud of himself somehow. “I’m not like other guys.” He chuckled.

“Believe me, you have no idea what courting is, because that wasn’t it.” It was his turn to tease, but with a single glance at Dean’s face, he added. “Now get back here, and I’ll show you courting sometime.”

“That’s the spirit. Threaten that you’ll woo me,” Dean laughed. 

“That wasn’t threatening. It was more like conditioning, like if you get here, I’’ll -” But Dean sealed his lips by leaning again, and that was that.

*

Most older brothers, give their brothers pickup lines. _Some_ older brothers give their brothers relationship advice. One older brother - _Gabriel Novak, be his name_ \- asks his brother’s crush out, on his behalf - and it’s a wonder that they still make it to a happy ending. (But well, they do, and _all’s well that ends well._)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you had a good time! This was inspired by a friend's real-life story, and was real fun to write! Have an amazing day ~


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